Suffolk trip to “Peter Pan” on Broadway

Suffolk Community College Grant campus is hosting a trip into the city to see the Broadway rendition of “Peter Pan” at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday, Dec. 16. The bus leaves for the city at 3 p.m. and the show is at 7 p.m.

This Broadway performance stars Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan, who had previously played the starring role of Peter Pan in the 90’s tours of “Peter Pan” up until 2006. The performance earned Rigby a Tony Award nomination and the production two Emmy wins and two Tony nominations previously.

The show blends the same legendary storyline and characters so beloved by the original tale, along with dazzling special effects and flight by Rigby and the rest of the cast acrobatics. The show costars Tom Hewitt as Captain Hook and Krista Buccellato as Wendy.

Tickets for the show are on sale now. Tickets are $25 for students and $30 for faculty. The bus will depart from parking lot #4 of the Grant campus at 3 p.m. on Dec. 14. Contact that office of campus activities at 851-6702 for more information. Don’t miss out on this spectacular performance!

Music Review: "Nightmare" by Avenged Sevenfold

Album: "Nightmare" by Avenged Sevenfold

Label:

Warner Bros. Records

Key Personnel:

Vocals– Matthew Sanders/ M. Shadows

Lead Guitar– Brian Haner Jr./ Synyster Gates

Rhythm Guitar– Zachary Baker/ Zacky Vengeance

Bass– Jonathon Seward/ Johnny Christ

Drums– Mike Portnoy

Additionally (Drums/Backing Vocals/Piano): James Sullivan/The Rev

Release Date: July 27, 2010

Track Listing:

Nightmare

Welcome to the Family

Danger Line

Buried Alive

Natural Born Killer

So Far Away

God Hates Us

Victim

Tonight the World Dies

Fiction

Save Me                         

Lost It All (Bonus Track)              

Nightmare, the fifth studio album of Avenged Sevenfold, comes at a time of turbulence, doubt and sorrow for the American heavy metal band. The album marks the first record release since 2008 and, more importantly, is the first release since the tragic passing of drummer Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan in December 2009. As such, the latest record

TV Review: "The Pacific"

Starring: James Badge Dale, Jon Seda, Joe Mazzello

“The Pacific” is a miniseries that raises the bar for HBO’s already-stellar reputation. From start to finish, the miniseries effectively mixes together brutality, terror, emotion and realism into one perfectly-constructed blend.

The series follows the stories of three U.S. marines and their experiences in the Pacific theatre of WWII; Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale), John Basilone (Jon Seda), and Eugene Sledge (Joe Mazzello). The series follows the three marines and their respective squad-mates across the grueling island-hopping campaign between the U.S. marines and the imperial Japanese army that took place in the Pacific theatre. From Guadalcanal to Okinawa, these soldiers endure torments at every turn, both physical and psychological.

The series is filled to the brim with suspenseful and shaking scenes that can leave even the most steadfast of viewers shaking in their seats. There was one scene in particular during the ninth episode when Sledge

Novella Excerpt: "Saved"

Tom Evanson lay sprawled out on the cold, muddy earth as the rain cascaded down on top of him. His backpack and textbooks lie scattered and sunken into a pool of mud several feet away and his glasses shattered and broken at his feet. The eighteen-year-old, wearing a casual polo and jeans, fidgeted and his chest rose and fell in deep intakes of breath as blood oozed forth from the stab-wounds in his abdomen. Thunder and lightning clattered across the night sky above, drowning out the terrified and pained cries for help that the boy shouted through the downpour of rain.

Tom had stayed after school for an hour or so to finish an assignment for his English class. Having done so, he had subsequently missed the school bus home and had to take the long walk back to his house through the woods. His stepdad was away on business and he had been unable to reach his mother at home because his cell phone ran out of battery; therefore, he had little choice but to hike his way back to his home through four miles of forest.

As Tom had walked along the forest trail, listening to his ipod and admiring the simple beauty of the scenic foliage, disaster struck for the high school teen. Three rugged boys a few years older than Tom had been lying in wait along the trail. The largest had sprinted forth from the trees and attempted to tackle Tom to the ground while the other two followed suit. Tom kicked his legs and fought back his three larger, stronger attackers but to no avail; the three burly boys had him firmly pinned into the earth. Two of the boys rummaged his pockets, stealing his ipod, cell phone and wallet while the other had planted Tom’s head against the ground with his kneecap.

Creativity...with a Hint of Madness

Once, I was an enigma. As a child I would do the most peculiar things in my spare time; pace around the room and mutter to myself or vividly reenact scenes from movies when I think the rest of my family isn’t watching. In one such scenario, for example, I performed an entire battle scene from “Lord of the Rings” with perfect execution. As I’ve grown up into the man I am today, the solitary reenactments and pacing have remained one of the only constants; however, I’ve now taken a different approach. What was once a carefree way of passing the time as a child has now become a brainstorming technique in which I plump the depths of my imagination while broadening my creativity. Furthermore, as my awareness of social phenomena and the calamities of life has increased with age, so too has it become more necessary for me to pursue ever-imaginative means of escapism. This too is where my alone time spent imagining other extraordinary universes and events has come into play. Now, I am creative. Now though, I am working toward taking ideas spawned from hours of pacing and brainstorming, and expressing them through one of the arts that excel at: writing. Soon, I will be a novelist.

  

Once, I was an enigma:

Slash! Chop! Swoosh! Thwak! In a frenzy, I swung my weapon before me in a flurry of cuts, thrusts, jabs and slashes. I readied my sword as the next group of fiendish enemies converged all around me. Vile, snarling, biting fiends hell-bent on bloodlust attacked me from all directions, slashing their crude blades at me which I deflected and evaded with ease and agility. In the distance, a booming, menacing voice howled over the battlefield as I made battle with my foes.

Minor Leagues, Major Experience

In 2005, there was a Minor League game between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds. Despite that this game was merely practice for the drafted players, the eyes of over ten thousand viewers and live video cameras were upon them.  After the seventh inning, a call unexpectedly came down to the Rex Sox’ bullpen coach. Afterward, the bullpen coach turns to one of the Red Sox draftees, a pitcher, and said simply, “Searles, you’re in on the ninth.”

Jon Searles had been eagerly awaiting the chance to pitch during that game prior to that. The opportunity came about because of the fact that one of the other minor league pitchers had done only five innings rather than the supposed six, leaving an inning open for Searles. When the ninth finally came around, Searles ran out onto the field toward the pitching mound with confidence and the willingness to prove himself before thousands of onlookers and a series of TV cameras.

He struck out first one of the Cincinnati batters, and then another. After the game ended, famed Red Sox manager Terry Francona gave Searles a high-five as he was coming off the field. Searles later showered, ate, and was greeted by dozens of voicemails and text messages from family and friends congratulating him.

Jon Searles now works as a fixed income salesman at First Empire Securities in Hauppauge, Long Island, NY. He is 30 years old, lives in Huntington, Long Island, and enjoys golfing, hiking and (of course) baseball.

Beginning a Sci-fi Story

1.      The Focus- As someone with at least minor experience in writing science fiction, I can safely say that it is one of the most rewarding genres to work with. This is majorly due to the fact that the volume of options and directions that an author can take in sci-fi is unprecedented. Coming up with the initial idea for your story is the first way to go. Often writers will spontaneously get an idea that they will feel inspired to write about. However, if you are having difficulty coming up with a genuine focus for a sci-fi, try brainstorming. Try to find a location and time that you consider to be your “comfort zone,” grab a notepad, and just jot down the first ideas that come to you. Use your imagination; you may be surprised with what you come up with. Finally, don’t be afraid to “think outside the box” when fishing for story ideas. All fiction stories are unique in some way, but sci-fi in particular has a way of giving new definition to unique because of the fact that they can bend the laws of physics and reality. Use this to your advantage when coming up with a story.

2.      Research- This step is optional and doesn’t always apply. Because these stories are science fiction, writers have a bit more liberty to bend the rules of realism in order to make a compelling story. Having said that, one may find it prudent to do some background research on a particular subject in order to add value to the story. For example, with a sci-fi story that takes place in outer space, it may be a good idea to research some facts about basic astronomy in order to bring some realistic applications into your piece. The reader will likely be impressed by these tidbits of knowledge that you are applying to the story and may make them that much more inclined to read on.